Department for Transport

Rail North

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the Rail North Board.

Andrew Jones: Since the start of the new Northern and TPE franchises on 1st April 2016, the Rail North Partnership Director (who is responsible for the management of those franchises on behalf of Rail North and the Department) has had one meeting with the Board of Rail North Ltd at which he presented his monthly report.

Rail North

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how frequent the partnership meetings between his Department and Rail North are; and who represents his Department at those meetings.

Andrew Jones: The Rail North Partnership Strategic Board currently meets on a monthly basis to oversee the work of the Partnership Management Team. The Department’s representatives on this Board are the Markets Director, Passenger Services; the Deputy Director Midlands, North & Wales, Passenger Services; and the Programme Director, Network Services.

Rail North

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who funds arrangements for the DFT Rail North Board meetings.

Andrew Jones: The funding arrangements for the Rail North Partnership are a combination of direct funding from DfT to cover the staffing cost that would have been incurred in the management of the two franchises at DfT as well as Rail North Limited membership fees and an allocation of Rail Administration Grant from Combined Authorities. This funding is fixed and indexed. This funding covers all activities undertaken by the Rail North Partnership, including the DfT/Rail North Strategic Board meetings.

Rail North: Finance

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding the Government provides to Rail North.

Andrew Jones: The Rail North Partnership brings together activities that were previously undertaken by DfT and Local Transport Authorities in the North. Accordingly the Government has agreed that £500,000 p.a. of existing annual grant funding provided by the Department to the North of England Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) and Combined Authorities can be used to fund Rail North. In addition, the Department funds staffing costs that it would have otherwise incurred itself.

Railways: Harrow

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on bringing Crossrail 2 through Harrow and Wealdstone station; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proposed route of Crossrail 2 connects south-west to north-east London via 23 miles of new tunnels between Wimbledon and Tottenham Hale. There are no plans to bring Crossrail 2 through Harrow and Wealdstone station.

Railways: Franchises

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 12 May to Question 36842, on railways: franchises, whether the partnership referred to in that Answer has provided his Department with advice on mobilisation plans for franchises other than the Cross Country franchise since 1 November 2015.

Claire Perry: The Partnership reviewed the work undertaken by Directly Operated Railways (DOR) in connection with the Direct Awards programme as part of the initial phase of their contract between November and December 2015. This focused on the work done by DOR on the Cross Country Franchise but also included reviewing historic mobilisation plans prepared by DOR for other franchises. The partnership are not currently advising on any mobilisation plans other than that for the Cross Country Franchise.

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36052, on diesel vehicles: exhaust emissions, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of a pre-Euro 4 diesel scrappage scheme; how many vehicles in the UK were estimated to have been potentially eligible for a claim under such a scheme; and whether a benefit-cost ratio was calculated for that proposal.

Andrew Jones: Improving the UK’s air quality is a priority for this Government; we want the UK to have the best natural environment, and clean air is an essential part of this ambition. The Government’s National Air Quality Plan, published on 17 December 2015, sets out a comprehensive approach to improving UK air quality. A key measure of this is the introduction of new Clean Air Zones in five UK cities (Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Derby), along with the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London. The Plan will tackle the most polluting vehicles in air pollution hotspots, and will enable us to reach compliance with legal limit values as quickly as possible. A national scrappage scheme for diesel cars was considered, which included a high-level cost estimate looking at offering grants for scrappage of the dirtiest vehicles. It was found that even if only offering the scheme to pre-Euro 4 diesel cars only, the costs ran into the billions and impact on emissions was marginal. This would have minimal impact on compliance with legal limit values for air quality in 2020. It is estimated that 400,000 pre euro 4 diesel cars will remain in the national fleet by this time. As the costs of a scrappage were considered prohibitively expensive this option was judged an ineffective use of resource, and further analysis was not carried out.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Performance Standards

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes his Department has made to Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd's performance benchmarks under Schedule 7.1 of the Thameslink Southern and Great Northern franchise agreement since that agreement was signed.

Claire Perry: The Franchise Agreement sets out the circumstances which entitle a revision to the Govia Thameslink Railway Schedule 7.1 benchmarks. A predefined contractual change has occurred which has required changes to the Cancellation and TOC Minute Delay benchmarks.

Cycling

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13105, on cycling, if he will (a) update the table provided in that Answer to include the year 2015-16 and (b) provide a version of that table that excludes Cycle Ambition Cities funding from the regional breakdown of per capita spend.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In response to part a) of your question, spend on cycling in 2015-16 was:Bikeability: £11.7mCycle Rail: £14.0m (plus matched funding of £2.10m)Cycle Ambition Cities: £15.0m (plus matched funding of £5.10m)Highways England: £16.7mLSTF: £64.50mLocal Growth Fund: £60.80mIntegrated Transport Block: £28.40mTransport for London: £145mTOTAL: £363.3m, or £7 per head in 2015/16. Of these programmes, we can provide regional breakdown per head for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, Cycle Rail, Transport for London and Cycle Ambition Cities, totalling £238.5m. a) 15/16 regional spend per head (£) for selected programmesRegionRegional spend per head (£) for selected programmes 2015/16East MidlandsDfT spend1Total spend1East of EnglandDfT spend1Total spend1North EastDfT spend6Total spend7North WestDfT spend2Total spend4South EastDfT spend2Total spend2South WestDfT spend3Total spend4West MidlandsDfT spend2Total spend3Yorkshire & HumberDfT spend2Total spend3LondonTotal spend18 Please note these figures do not provide a total regional spend per head and spend on the ground will be significantly greater. The remaining programmes total £124.80m. We do not hold a breakdown of regional funding by mode for the Integrated Transport Block, Local Growth Fund, Bikeability and Highways England. In response to part b) of your question, please find below a version of the table from Question 13105 excluding the Cycle Ambition Cities. a) Regional spend per head (excluding Cycle Ambition Cities)RegionRegional spend per head (£) 2011/122012/132013/142014/15East MidlandsDfT spend1111Total spend3332East of EnglandDfT spend1211Total spend3433North EastDfT spend1211Total spend5655North WestDfT spend1211Total spend4644South EastDfT spend1211Total spend4544South WestDfT spend1221Total spend7776West MidlandsDfT spend1111Total spend4444Yorkshire & HumberDfT spend1111Total spend4544LondonTotal spend23913

River Thames: Tunnels

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of tunnelling between Darenth and South Ockenden as an option for the Lower Thames Crossing.

Andrew Jones: Two long tunnels were considered and evaluated as part of the options for a new Lower Thames Crossing scheme. The long tunnel options connected Darenth to South Ockenden either through junctions 2 and 30 on the M25 or by direct connection to the motorway beyond the junctions. The cost of these tunnel options was estimated at £6.6 billion compared with £4.3 billion for the proposed option, described in the consultation material, and therefore these options were not taken forward as they did not represent good value for money.

Home Office

Asylum: Syria

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that Syrian children given asylum in the UK will be able to enter in time for the start of the school year in September.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Slavery: Yorkshire and the Humber

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of (a) trafficking in human beings and (b) forced labour were recorded by Humberside Police in each year from 2010 to 2015; in how many such cases prosecutions were brought; and what the outcomes were of those prosecutions.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 23 May 2016



Recorded crime figures for the period 2010 to 2014 do not directly correlate to the two categories in the question. Data on human trafficking for sexual exploitation shows that one case of this type was recorded by Humberside in 2012/13. Crime recording rules stipulate that only the most serious offence in a sequence of crimes is recorded, so it is possible that other cases of trafficking for sexual exploitation offences have been recorded under other offences that could result in a more severe sentence. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 increased the maximum sentence available for modern slavery offences to life imprisonment. Modern Slavery was introduced as a separate crime classification in April 2015. This classification includes trafficking for all forms of exploitation and slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. Between April and December 2015, eight modern slavery crimes were recorded by Humberside.The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts for offences related to human trafficking and forced labour in the Humberside Police Force Area, from 2010 to 2015 was four. This is recorded on the basis the location of the magistrates’ court where proceedings started, and hence it may be that an offence recorded in Humberside was then proceeded against in another police force area.

Police: Football

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the UK Football Policing Unit has requested information from other EU member states on football banning orders and other data relevant to the safe policing of football matches in each of the last 10 years.

Mike Penning: This information is not held. The UK National Football Information Point within the UK Football Policing Unit exchanges information relevant to the safe policing of football matches with National Football Information Points in other EU countries, whenever UK national and club teams play against national or club teams from other EU member states.

Emergencies

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police, emergency responders and other security and military personnel have been deployed from other EU member states to respond to emergencies and other security threats in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Mr John Hayes: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Female Genital Mutilation

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all frontline professionals receive adequate training to pursue the steps outlined in multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that when a girl is identified as being at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM), frontline professionals are taking the steps outlined in the multi-agency statutory guidance on FGM.

Karen Bradley: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.The Government is clear that tackling FGM needs a coordinated response from a range of professionals, including teachers, health professionals, social workers and police which is why on 1 April we published updated multi-agency guidance on FGM which we have put on a statutory footing to support compliance. To support professionals to take the steps outlined in the guidance, including receiving adequate training, we have made available free FGM e-learning for all professionals. To date, the course has been completed by over 30,000 people. Our FGM Unit is providing outreach support to local areas and working to raise awareness of resources available to professionals, including training, best practice examples and information on legislation and policy.In addition, the Department of Health’s £3 million FGM Prevention Programme is focused on improving the response of NHS to FGM, and through its Innovation programme, the Department for Education is funding the Local Government Association and Barnardo's to develop a centre of excellence and outreach to support local authorities.

Police: Sports

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police staff have been deployed to (a) each region of the UK from other EU member states and (b) other EU member states from each region of the UK to police (i) football matches and (ii) other sporting events in each of the last 10 years.

Mike Penning: Whenever national football or club teams from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland play a match outside of the UK, an assessment is made as to whether a UK police delegation can be useful to the host nation’s policing operation. However, the decision to request UK police officers rests with the relevant host nation. Similarly whenever national football teams or club teams from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland host a match against a foreign club or national team, an assessment is made by the police and this will include whether they would welcome support from the relevant police force. Such consideration can also be given to other sporting events, but it is mainly applicable to football matches. We do not hold the specific detail asked for in the question.

European Arrest Warrants

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many European Arrest Warrant surrenders (a) to and (b) from each UK law enforcement agency there have been in each year since 2010; and what type of offence each of those surrenders related to.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 23 May 2016



These statistics are available on the National Crime Agency Website at: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-statisticsFigures for Scotland were not included prior to 2015.

House of Commons Commission

14 Tothill Street: Flags

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will take steps to ensure that the Union flag is regularly flown from the existing flag pole on the premises at 14 Tothill Street.

Tom Brake: Parliament flies three union flags on a permanent basis, on the Victoria Tower, and at 1 Parliament Street and Portcullis House. There are currently no plans to fly a flag at 14 Tothill Street.

Palace of Westminster: Access

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, when the Commission plans to reopen the main doors at St Stephen's Entrance; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Brake: There are no plans to reopen the main doors at St Stephen’s Entrance. Police and security staff are available to facilitate access by Members and other passholders, particularly during divisions.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Bedouin

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to Israeli authorities about reports of further demolitions of EU-funded structures in Jabal al Baba.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We condemn the demolition of Bedouin homes at Jabal Al-Baba, which is a particularly vulnerable community in East Jerusalem. We have not specifically raised the issue, but we are extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv continues to raise our concern about demolitions regularly with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 May. We call on Israel to provide a legal route for Palestinians to obtain building permits.

Egypt: Gaza

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Egyptian government on the disconnection of power lines providing electricity to Southern Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware that there are power shortages in Gaza, leading to severe power restrictions and blackouts. We have discussed this issue with Egyptian officials.We regularly raise the humanitarian situation in Gaza with the Egyptian government. The UK will continue to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza, and to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza’s reconstruction and economic recovery.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 34085, whether any UK discussions with the Saudi Arabian authorities regarding the alleged use of cluster munitions in Yemen have led to confirmation that such munitions have been used by Saudi Arabian armed forces on any occasion.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of reports of the alleged use of Cluster Munitions by the Coalition in Yemen . We have raised this issue with the Saudi Arabian authorities and, in line with our obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.

Egypt: Press Freedom

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Egyptian government on the death penalty imposed on Ibrahim Mohammed Helal and other journalists in that country.

Mr Philip Hammond: We regularly raise our concerns over press freedoms with the Egyptian authorities both in London and in Cairo. The Prime Minister, the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised the detention of journalists with President Sisi during his visit to the UK in November 2015. I raised press freedoms and freedom of expression with the Egyptian Ambassador in April, and these concerns are expanded upon in the Human Rights Priority Country report on Egypt which was published on 21 April. It is a long term policy of the UK Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle and we have raised this with the Egyptian Government. There are further stages in the legal process and we will continue to monitor the case.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the detention of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Hammond: We have repeatedly raised this matter with Iran. Iran does not recognise dual nationality and as such does not grant us consular access in these cases. We have therefore not been given any details about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s detention. We understand that she has now been released from solitary confinement. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) raised our concerns this week with the Iranian Chargé d’affaires.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on whether the Assad government's military is targeting medical facilities in opposition-held territory in Syria.

Mr Philip Hammond: In April, the UN Secretary General reported to the UN Security Council that only 40% of medical facilities in Syria remained functioning, and most of these were in severe disrepair. At least 18 health facilities have been bombed in 2016 alone. In particular, we are deeply concerned by reports that at least five medical facilities have been targeted in opposition-held eastern Aleppo since 22 April. Most of the attacks against medical facilities are likely to have been carried out by the regime or its backers.

Israel: Bedouin

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU countries and the EU Commission on the demolition of EU-funded structures by Israeli authorities in Jabal al Baba on 16 May 2016; and what steps he plans to take (a) independently and (b) with those counterparts to ensure that any further such planned demolitions are halted.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK and the EU continue to raise concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel. These demolitions cause significant human suffering, undermine chances of progress towards a two-state solution, and are contrary to international humanitarian law in all but the most exceptional cases. Within the EU, we are considering how to respond to demolitions, including the demolition and confiscation of EU-funded structures.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Iranian government on the continued detention of seven Bahá'í leaders.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK regularly raises our concerns at the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

Members: Correspondence

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he intends to reply to the letter of 8 April 2016 on the death of Claire Martin in Italy from the hon. Member for Ashfield.

Mr David Lidington: I responded to the letter from the hon. Member for Ashfield on the 18th May 2016.

Israel: Bedouin

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the demolition of Bedouin homes at Jabal Al-Baba in East Jerusalem.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We condemn the demolition of Bedouin homes at Jabal Al-Baba, which is a particularly vulnerable community in East Jerusalem. We are extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has not specifically discussed this issue with his counterpart. However, our Embassy in Tel Aviv continues to raise our concern about demolitions regularly with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 May. We call on Israel to provide a legal route for Palestinians to obtain building permits.

Sri Lanka: War Crimes

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the President of Sri Lanka on (a) the implementation of UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 and (b) the involvement of foreign judges and prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes during the Sri Lankan civil war since the last ministerial visit to Sri Lanka.

Mr Hugo Swire: We regularly discuss progress and developments in Sri Lanka with the government, including on UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution 30/1. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did so when he met President Sirisena on 12 May and our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka did so on 10 May. I also discussed this with the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Samaraweera when I visited Sri Lanka in January. We encourage the government to implement fully its commitments to the UNHRC resolution on reconciliation, accountability and human rights, and look forward to the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ assessment of Sri Lanka’s progress in June.

Ni Yulan

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of China on the case of the disabled rights lawyer Ni Yulan who has recently been placed under house arrest in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office monitors the human rights situation in China closely, and we are concerned by the treatment of Ni Yulan, both her house arrest and the credible reports of harassment of her and her family. A senior British diplomat met Ni Yulan in March. Five diplomats from other countries were prevented from visiting Ni at her home last month. We will continue to press the Chinese authorities for access. We plan to raise Ni’s case at the next round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.More widely, I remain concerned by the harassment and detention of human rights defenders in China. We continue to urge the Chinese authorities to respect and protect freedom of expression and association, in line with its constitution and the international frameworks to which China is a party.

Libya: Military Aid

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from the Libyan government on UK military training and mentoring for Libyan authorities; and what offers of such training and mentoring the UK has made to Libyan authorities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) has not made a specific request to the UK for military training and mentoring for Libyan authorities. We have discussed with international partners how best we might support the GNA. That could include training Libyan Security Forces to provide their own security, and to the Libyan Coastguard to help tackle illegal people smuggling as agreed by the international Community at the Vienna Ministerial on 16 May. Any such support we and others provided would be in response to a clear request from the GNA.

EU Staff: British Nationality

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals were employed by the European Parliament in each year since 2010; and how many such people were employed at administrator grade.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Staff: British Nationality

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals were employed by the European Commission in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Education: Muslims

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to improve access to further and higher education for young Muslims.

Joseph Johnson: We have recently introduced the Higher Education and Research Bill which, subject to the will of Parliament, will permit the introduction of a non-interest bearing alternative to student loans. This would be available to students of all faiths and none and will result in no financial advantage or disadvantage relative to the equivalent loan.The Government is committed to increasing the number of BME students in higher education by 20% by 2020 and the proportion of apprenticeship starts by people from BME backgrounds by 20% by 2020.We have also recently announced our intention to introduce a Transparency Duty on higher education institutions to publish more statistical information on the number of students who apply for places, receive offers and drop out from higher education institutions by ethnicity, gender and social background.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value was of (a) private and (b) public sector investment in the British steel industry in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally. However, the following are examples of Government investments in the UK metals sector since 2008:£8.2 million from the Regional Growth Fund towards a new Tata Steel Europe R&D Centre at Warwick UniversityAdvanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) - £12.7 million comprising £6.47 million grant and £6.25 million loan to a consortium of which Tata Steel Europe is a key partner, to develop the “Proving Factory” which specialises in the industrialisation and low-volume production of advanced propulsion systems to automotive standards.AMSCI – CASCADE project and consortia of 11 companies led by Tata Steel – awarded grant of £4.6m in April 2015 for development of metal powders and processes for additive manufacturingOver £100m in capital projects in universities (through the Research Partnership Investment Fund) in steel, composites, automotive and aerospace, which has leveraged funding from businesses such as Tata, Rolls Royce and JLR.Over £100m in EPSRC’s grant programme in metals and alloysInnovate UK have provided just under £4m in grants to Tata Steel and a further £2m (with £2m from EPSRC) for SPECIFIC – an innovation and knowledge centre at Swansea University.Information on private sector investment in the steel industry is not available from official sources.

HSBC: Offshoring

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he had discussions with HSBC before its announcement of 16 May 2016 on moving offshore 490 roles currently based in Sheffield; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: This is a commercial matter for HSBC – Ministers in the Department had no discussions with HSBC prior to their 16 May 2016 announcement. We recognise that this will be a worrying time for the workforce and, since HSBC’s announcement, I have spoken to the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership who will now be working with local partners to ensure that suitable support is available for any HSBC worker made redundant as a result of this announcement.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which steel plants in the UK have (a) closed and (b) been bought by a new owner in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Apprentices: Taxation

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 36124, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the apprenticeship levy on apprenticeship completion rates.

Nick Boles: The apprenticeship levy is part of a range of reforms which we are introducing to increase investment in apprenticeships, raise their quality and make them more relevant to employers’ needs. High quality training that is more relevant to the needs of employers will encourage apprentices to complete their apprenticeships so that they are fully competent in their occupations. Information on apprenticeship achievement rates in England is published in the Statistical First Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

Technology: Education

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much of the adult skills budget, excluding apprenticeships, was spent on engineering and manufacturing technologies courses at (a) level 2, (b) level 3, (c) level 4, and (d) level 5-6 in the last financial year for which data is available.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding his Department has provided for (a) scientific excellence, (b) renewable energy in the Humber, (c) food production in North Yorkshire, (d) advanced manufacturing in South Yorkshire and (e) finance and tech in West Yorkshire since the publication of the Long-Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire in February 2015.

Anna Soubry: This Government is committed to supporting scientific excellence. That is why in Spending Review 2015 we protected science resource funding from its current level of £4.7 billion per year in real terms for the remainder of the Parliament, and why we are investing in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale, delivering on the £6.9 billion science capital commitment in our manifesto. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is working with universities, cities, local enterprise partnerships, and businesses to map research and innovation strengths through a series of science and innovation audits. As part of this, Sheffield University and the Sheffield City Region have been selected, as part of a wider consortium to take part in the first wave of these audits. Linked to other Northern Powerhouse groups Sheffield will be exploring the potential to develop the global competitiveness of advanced manufacturing in the north of England. We are committed to supporting long term economic growth across Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. My department is contributing to the cross-government local growth fund which, over a period of 6 years commencing from April 2015, has awarded £1.202 billion to local enterprise partnerships covering Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire. This funding is helping deliver long term economic growth priorities including renewable energy in the Humber, food and agri-tech in York North Yorkshire and East Riding, and advanced manufacturing in Sheffield City Region. The government is also investing in finance and tech in Leeds City Region, including £3.7m to Leeds in March 2016 for a new city centre digital business incubator facility, and providing £50m for two new agricultural technology centres in North Yorkshire.

Small Businesses: West Yorkshire

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much new funding has been given to SMEs across the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to develop their workforces since the publication of the Long-Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire in February 2015.

Anna Soubry: The Leeds City Region Skills Service has, to date, supported 620 businesses, with 3,300 pieces of training completed and 1,595 more underway. The value of this support to SMEs is £2.12m. In 2016/17 the Skills Service is expected to support skills diagnostics for 800 businesses, help 1,100 SMEs to offer apprenticeships and upskill 5,600 employees. Grants between £500 and £50,000 are available to match business investments in workforce training.

Further Education: Mergers

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has undertaken of the potential (a) costs and benefits and (b) effect on equality of merging further education colleges.

Nick Boles: We funded an independent further education adviser to undertake an assessment of mergers undertaken by the sector since 1992 in 2015. The results of the assessment were shared with the sector and are available here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/current-models-of-collaboration-post-14-further-education). That demonstrated that mergers could deliver significant benefits but that effective leadership and management of structural change was an essential part of ensuring the full benefits were realised as quickly as possible.In respect of the effect of mergers on equalities, further education colleges are independent corporations and it is for each college governing body to assess the impact of changes on groups protected by the Equalities Act 2010 and to take that assessment into account when making decisions around mergers.

Apprentices: Taxation

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when officials of his Department last met representatives of the devolved administrations to discuss (a) how the apprenticeship levy will operate and (b) the proportion of the apprenticeship levy that each of the devolved administrations will receive.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Arms Trade: Egypt

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what military equipment has been licenced for export to Egypt in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: Information on military and dual use export licences is published as Official Statistics in the quarterly and annual reports on Strategic Export Controls which are all available to view on GOV.UK. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences.Data currently covers all years from 2008 up to 31 December 2015.

Department for International Development

Israel: Palestinians

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent representations her Department has made to the Israeli government on the demolition of Palestinian homes and property funded by the UK.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK remains extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015, and continues to raise this with the Israeli authorities. Demolitions and the evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering, are harmful to the peace process, and in all but the most exceptional of cases are contrary to international humanitarian law. The UK supports the Norwegian Refugee Council to provide legal aid to Palestinian communities that are at risk of displacement.

Developing Countries: Education

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to become a founding donor of the Education Cannot Wait fund for education in emergencies when it is launched at the World Humanitarian Summit 2016.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait – a fund for Education in Emergencies, which will be launched at the World Humanitarian Summit on 23rd May at a special event co-hosted by the UK. Education in emergencies and crises is a priority for the UK and the International Development Secretary will be speaking at the World Humanitarian Summit on the UK’s role on this critical issue.

Developing Countries: Education

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that the Education Cannot Wait fund for education in emergencies focuses on (a) girls, (b) children with disabilities and (c) other marginalised children.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait – a fund for education in emergencies. A key focus for Education Cannot Wait will be on ensuring that marginalised children and young people are able to access a quality education. This includes refugees and internally displaced children, as well as children facing barriers to their education because of their gender, disability or other factors. This focus is reflected in the Fund’s indicative headline results, which commits to providing “Inclusive education [that] reaches the most marginalised children and young people in crises” with a target of “100% of supported education opportunities demonstrate an increase in education for girls, disabled and those in remote locations”. The UK will continue to engage closely during Education Cannot Wait’s inception phase, to ensure that this commitment is fully reflected in its final design and results frameworks.

Gaza: Overseas Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with (a) Egyptian authorities and (b) other stakeholders on the implications for UK aid projects in Gaza of disconnection of power lines providing electricity into South Gaza by Egypt.

Mr Desmond Swayne: We are concerned by the electricity shortage in Gaza and the serious impact it is having on the humanitarian situation. We are in regular dialogue with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and other development actors, specifically the EU and UN, on energy issues. We regularly raise the humanitarian situation in Gaza with the Egyptian government, and have raised this issue with them. The UK will continue to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza, and to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza’s reconstruction and economic recovery.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) timescale and (b) terms of reference are of the review referred to in paragraph 6.69 of the Educational excellence everywhere White Paper, Cm 9230, of what is happening in practice for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Edward Timpson: The White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere set out an intention to review what is happening in practice for all children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), not only those with statutory plans, and to review what more can be done to improve these children’s attainment, outcomes and experiences.This work is being taken forward internally and is informed by our ongoing dialogue and close working relationship with stakeholders.

Free Schools

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools were closed in each year since 2011.

Edward Timpson: Holding answer received on 23 May 2016



Out of 308 free schools that have opened since 2011, four have closed. One free school closed in academic year 2013/14 and three closed in 2014/15.

Free Schools

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent on free school projects that did not result in the establishment of a school in each year since 2011.

Edward Timpson: The total pre-opening revenue expenditure for free school projects that opened or were withdrawn or cancelled in 2011 to 2015 is published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523706/Free_Schools_Data_for_Publication.xlsxThe capital costs of all free school projects, including any costs incurred on projects that have withdrawn, are included in the Department for Education’s annual accounts which are published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports

Free Schools

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools are in temporary accommodation.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pupil Premium

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what monitoring her Department undertakes of the (a) allocation, (b) spending and (c) outcomes of pupil premium funding at (i) maintained schools and (ii) academy trust schools.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report of Ofsted on its inspection of Audenshaw School Academy Trust which took place on 23 and 24 February 2016, if she will make an assessment of the effect on the students for whom pupil premium funding was intended of that funding being saved for a capital project.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what rules govern the use of pupil premium funding (a) for capital projects and (b) in a different year to that for which the funding was allocated.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what response her Department has made to the findings of Ofsted in its report of the inspection of Audenshaw School Academy Trust which took place on 23 and 24 February 2016 that approximately £120,000 of pupil premium funding has not been spent on pupils for whom that funding was intended.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will order an investigation to be undertaken into (a) financial management and (b) governance relating to the use of pupil premium funding at Audenshaw School Academy Trust.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The conditions of grant for the pupil premium make clear that its purpose is to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. School leaders are best placed to decide how to spend the pupil premium in line with this policy and the needs of their pupils. Schools are not prevented from using the pupil premium to fund capital projects or from carrying over funding between years.The Department for Education supports schools to make evidence-based decisions through the work of the Education Endowment Foundation, established to identify and promote effective practice in raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department does not monitor how Academies and maintained schools spend the pupil premium but instead holds them to account for the outcomes of eligible pupils through the publication of data in performance tables and Ofsted inspection.Where concerns are raised about the performance of an academy then they are addressed by the Regional School Commissioner with responsibility for that area. The Department also takes seriously any concerns about the financial management of a school. We are aware of the findings of the Ofsted report on Audenshaw School relating to its use of the pupil premium, following an inspection in February 2016. We are also aware that the Hon. Member, Andrew Gwynne, has met the Regional Schools Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire, Vicky Beer, on a number of occasions to discuss his concerns about Audenshaw School Academy Trust. The Department has carefully reviewed all the information provided on this matter and has identified no grounds to take further action.

Science: Teachers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on trends in the number of vacancies for science teachers in secondary schools in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) nationally in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is available for England and is published in Table 15 of the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2014’, which is available at the following web link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014 The information requested is not available for Coventry and West Midlands. Although the national teacher vacancy rate remains low, we are aware that schools in some parts of the country are finding it more challenging to recruit teachers, particularly as the economy improves. Our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, sets out our plans to ensure that there are good teachers everywhere they are needed. This includes the launch of the National Teaching Service which will, by 2020, place up to 1,500 outstanding teachers and middle leaders in the schools that struggle most to recruit and retain good teachers. Last year the Prime Minister announced that we would be spending up to £67m on teacher training and development in priority STEM subjects. This includes training an additional 2,500 maths and physics teachers, and improving the subject knowledge of a further 15,000 non-specialist serving teachers in those subjects.

Free Schools

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools spent more than one year in temporary accommodation in each year since 2011.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Science: Teachers

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) physics and (b) chemistry trainee teachers undertook a pre-initial teacher training subject knowledge enhancement course, broken down by subject and length of course, in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Sexual Offences

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many cases of sexual assault have been recorded in schools in Cumbria in the last five years.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not collect information on the number of sexual assaults taking place on school sites. The Government expects schools to take immediate and robust action if violent incidents occur. Schools should report criminal offences to the police.

Supply Teachers: Pay

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on supply teacher pay by state-funded schools in England in the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold information on spending specifically on the pay of supply teachers but does hold information on the total amount spent on supply teachers (including such costs as insurance and agency fees). The figures are given in the tables below:Supply teacher spend by local authority maintained schools in EnglandFinancial year2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Total supply teacher spend£906.1m£766.3m£743.3m£811.6m£820.8m Supply teacher spend by academy schools in EnglandAcademic year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15Total supply teacher spendNot collected£98.8m£211.2m£354.1mNot available yet Data is published annually for:Local authority maintained schools on the department’s School and College Performance website: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/find-a-school-in-englandAcademies in the department’s Statistical First Release Income and expenditure in academies in England: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2013-to-2014

Department for Education: Members

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2016 to Question 35059, how many requests to meet with hon. Members she has received from each of the political parties represented in the House since 1 February 2016.

Nick Gibb: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Education frequently meets Hon Members from across the political spectrum in the performance of her duties. Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Teachers: Training

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many successful applicants to the Schools Direct scheme there were in each of the last five years; and what the cost of that scheme was to her Department in each such year.

Nick Gibb: The School Direct scheme began as a pilot tuition fee based programme in the 2012/13 academic year. The programme was extended to include School Direct (salaried) programmes from the 2013/14 academic year. The number of successful applicants (trainees who secured and took up a place) on School Direct programmes, and the associated cost (where available), from 2012/13 to 2014/15 are given in table 1: Academic yearNumber of School Direct (tuition fee) traineesNumber of School Direct (salaried) traineesCost of training bursaries for SD (fee) traineesCost of salary grants for SD (salaried) trainees2012/13349N/AUnavailableN/A2013/144,2032,473Unavailable£40,320,2142014/156,311[1]2,759£36,539,000£43,031,709Table 1: Number of School Direct trainees and associated costs from 2012/13 to 2014/15. We are unable to provide the training bursary costs specific to School Direct only for trainees for 2012/13 and 2013/14, as the data captured did not make a distinction between core and school direct tuition fee places for the purpose of bursary funding.Data for the 2015/16 academic year will not be available until after the end of the academic year when data submissions will be finalised and subsequently validated. [1] Of the 6,311 tuition fee trainees in AY 2014/15, 4,264 received a bursary.

Academies: Admissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33136, on how many occasions has a child's admission been directed by (a) the Schools Adjudicator after it was sought by a local authority and (b) the Education Funding Agency in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Education Funding Agency (EFA) was established in April 2012. It does not have direction powers in its own right but instead issues directions on behalf of the Secretary of State. Since being established it has directed academies to admit pupils twelve times.The Schools Adjudicator (OSA) does not issue directions in relation to maintained schools but will determine the case if a school which a local authority is seeking to direct refers the case on to the adjudicator. Data is not available for 2015-16 but between 2010 and 2015, it has upheld thirteen directions.The table below sets out the directions issued or upheld in each of the past five years:YearLA directions upheld by OSASecretary of State directions issued by EFA10-110EFA did not exist11-125EFA did not exist.12-130113-146214-1527

Academies: North of England

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applicants there were for the Northern fund for academy sponsors by the deadline of 22 February 2016; and if she will list the trusts which were approved for funding.

Edward Timpson: In 2015-2016, the Department ran three competitions for academy sponsors to apply for the Northern Fund. The Northern Fund is designed to support the expansion of sponsors in some of the most challenging regions of the country in terms of school performance and rural and urban deprivation. The funding enables sponsors to increase their capacity to take on and improve underperforming schools.A total of 85 applications were received by the third and final competition deadline of 22 February 2016. A total of 65 trusts were approved for funding and the names of these trusts are listed in the table below:Sponsor NameAbbey Multi Academy TrustAd Astra Academy TrustAiredale Academies TrustAlbany Learning TrustBeckfoot TrustBradford Diocesan Academies TrustBright Tribe TrustBrighter Futures Academy TrustCarillion Academies TrustCarmel Academy TrustChester Diocesan Academies Trust (CDAT)Cidari Multi Academy TrustCommunity First Academy TrustConsilium Academies TrustCranmer Educational TrustEducation Partnership TrustFeversham Education TrustFocus Academies TrustFylde Coast Academy TrustGawthorpe Community AcademyGreat Academies Education TrustGreat Schools TrustHoly Family Catholic Multi Multi Academy TrustInnovation Enterprise AcademyInterserve Academies Trust LimitedL.E.A.D Multi Academy TrustLydiate Learning TrustMoor End Academies TrustNew College PontefractOrmiston Academies TrustOutwood Grange Academies TrustPendle Education TrustRainbow Education Multi Academy TrustREAch4 Academy TrustSHARE Multi Academy TrustSouthmoor Academy TrustSt Paul’s (Astley Bridge) CofE Primary SchoolSt Simon and Jude CofE Academy TrustStockport Learning Trust (South Manchester Learning Trust)Tauheedul Education TrustThe Aldridge FoundationThe Dean TrustThe Dioceses of Liverpool Joint Catholic and CofE Academy TrustThe Dunham TrustThe Education AllianceThe Enquire Learning TrustThe Gosforth Federated Academies LtdThe Harmony TrustThe Heath Family TrustThe Inspire TrustThe Keys FederationThe Rowan Learning TrustThe Shotton Hall Learning TrustThe Three Saints Academy TrustTollbar Multi Academy TrustTrinity Academy Halifax (TAH)United Learning TrustWakefield City Academies TrustWardle Academy TrustWaterton Multi Academy TrustWellspring Academy TrustWhitehill Community AcademyWirral Academy TrustWISE AcademiesZest Academy Trust

Teachers: Recruitment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information she holds on trends in recruitment of teachers of priority subjects in secondary schools across the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Information on recruitment numbers can be found in Table 1c of the Main Tables: SFR46/2015 of Initial teacher training: trainee number census – 2015 to 2016, available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2015-to-2016

Educational Visits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the effect of a vote to leave the EU on the cost of school trips abroad.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has not made any assessment of the effect that a majority leave vote in the EU Referendum would have on the cost of school trips abroad.It is the Government’s view that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed European Union. A vote to leave the European Union would put this at risk.

Academies: Land Use

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications she has received from academy trusts wishing to use land for purposes other than education in each year since 2011.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Educational Exchanges

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she made of the effect of a vote to leave the EU on school language exchange programmes.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has not made any assessment of the effect that a majority leave vote in the European Union Referendum would have on school language exchange programmes. It is the Government’s view that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed European Union. A vote to leave the European Union would put this at risk.

Science: Teachers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information she holds on the number of science graduates hired by secondary schools as teachers across the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The information is not available in the format requested. The number of science teachers in state funded secondary schools in England has increased between 2010 and 2014; from 56,700 to 57,300. Last year, the Prime Minister announced that we would be spending up to £67m on teacher training and development in priority Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. This includes training an additional 2,500 mathematics and physics teachers, and improving the subject knowledge of a further 15,000 non-specialist serving teachers in those subjects. The NAO Report, following their inquiry into ‘Training New Teachers’, stated ‘The overall number of teachers has kept pace with changing pupil numbers, and the retention of newly qualified teachers has been stable’. The report is available from the following web link: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/training-new-teachers/

Academies: Land Use

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications from academy trusts to use land for purposes other than education have been (a) approved and (b) refused in each year since 2011.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Academies: Parking

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36326, what representations she has received from (a) schools and (b) union representatives about the provision for academy trusts to charge teachers for car parking services on school grounds; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Department has not received any representations on this matter from schools or union representatives. As we stated in the answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36326, academy trusts have the freedom to make decisions which reflect the local circumstances of their school. We expect these decisions to be made in a fair and transparent way.

Regional Schools Commissioners

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many funding agreements have been terminated by each regional schools commissioner.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A funding agreement is contract between the Secretary of State and an academy trust. The model funding agreement states that the agreement can be terminated under the following grounds: termination by either party; by warning notice; by the Secretary of State after inspection; by the Secretary of State; and a change of control.The Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) are civil servants, and as such, carry out their duties in the name of the Secretary of State. The RSCs have powers to make a decision, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to replace a sponsor or trust, where they have not been able to secure necessary improvements. In some circumstances, the funding agreement may be terminated as part of the process.As with other areas of their responsibility, RSCs escalate decisions to the National Schools Commissioner or the relevant minister where they are sensitive, raise issues of interpretation of government policy, or relate to urgent safeguarding or extremism concerns.The decision to terminate a funding agreement that results in the closure of an academy is made by the Secretary of State.Listed below are the numbers of academy closures and re-brokerages by region since the RSCs’ appointment in September 2014:RSCRe-brokeredClosedTotalEast Midlands & Humber28735Lancashire & West Yorkshire15318North639North East London & East15217North West London & South Central10212South London & South East9413South West28129West Midlands11314Total12225147

Ministry of Justice

EU Grants and Loans

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding has been awarded to the UK from the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme for the period 2014 to 2020; what action grants have been so awarded; and to which Departments and under what headings any such funding has been awarded.

Dominic Raab: The information requested which relates to projects which have secured funding can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/justice/grants1/closed-calls/index_en.htm. Funding is provided to projects themselves as opposed to countries or government departments; projects may list UK based bodies as an applicant or as a partner in the project.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost is of a personal independence payment tribunal hearing.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) is administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. The Tribunal hears appeals against decisions of the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of benefits including personal independence payment (PIP). HM Courts & Tribunals Service cannot isolate cost data relating to specific benefit types.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

World War I: Sikhs

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will consider securing a suitable site in central London for a permanent monument to the death of Sikh people in the First World War.

David Evennett: Government fully recognises the outstanding military contribution of Sikhs during the First World War.It is for local groups and organisations interested in establishing such a memorial to work with the relevant local planning authority and other organisations to identify a suitable site and obtain the necessary planning permissions.

Horse Racing: Betting

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 3.2 of his Department's document, Implementing the replacement for the Horserace Betting Levy, published in March 2016, what progress has been made on the independent report on the value of the common interest between betting and racing; and when he expects to publish the findings of that report.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 3.2 of his Department's document, Implementing the replacement for the Horserace Betting Levy, published in March 2016, how his Department plans to use the independent report on the value of the common interest between betting and racing to inform the construct of the proposed levy replacement and recover revenues lost from remote offshore betting.

David Evennett: The rate payable by gambling operators will be informed by this independent economic analysis of the funding of horseracing and further discussion with the betting and racing industries. We will be consulting on the findings of the report with both industries within the next few weeks and intend to publish the report in due course.

Television: Licensing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many households in Northern Ireland held black and white television licences in (a) 2005 and (b) 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: TV Licensing have confirmed that the number of black and white TV licences in force in Northern Ireland was 2,978 in 2005, and 736 in 2015.

BBC: Pay

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the proposals in his Department's White Paper, A BBC for the future, published in May 2016, if he will take steps to ensure that employees earning above £450,000 will not be able to be exempted from the requirement to publish their name by using personal service companies or similar structures.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Our White Paper, 'A BBC for the Future', makes it clear that we want to ensure that the BBC is transparent and efficient in how it spends its funding. As set out in its annual report, the BBC reviewed the use of Personal Service Companies as a means of engaging presenters and contributors​ in 2012​. ​It continue​s to apply an employment test, discussed with HM Revenue & Customs, to all workers to ensure they have the appropriate employment status.

BBC: Internet

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had discussions with the BBC on levels of accessibility to online archived BBC content.

Mr Edward Vaizey: As part of the discussions leading to the publication of the White Paper, A BBC for the future​: a Broadcaster of Distinction, the government discussed accessibility of the BBC's archive with the BBC. As set out in that White Paper, the government encourages the BBC to do more to open up its archive and ensure that it can be used by the public and as wide a range of institutions and organisations as possible​.

Television: Licensing

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government's proposal to ensure that those who watch BBC iPlayer services are subject to the requirement to pay the license fee will include those who use BBC iPlayer radio services.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The requirement to hold a TV licence will be extended to people streaming or downloading television programmes through on-demand services provided by the BBC (notably iPlayer) and will not include those who listen to radio services.

Royal Parks

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal Parks about the Plantation and the Royal Park Estate Yard in Hyde Park.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I have had no discussions with the Royal Parks about the estate yard in Hyde Park. Following my decision this year to increase the capital allocation for the parks, my officials have been in discussion with TRP about rebuilding the existing ageing Hyde Park nursery facility. Planning on this is underway and, subject to relevant permissions, when complete will enable the estate to grow 95% of its plants on site in a new more efficient building.

Television: Licensing

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what account his Department is taking of the substance of responses to Question 11 in the Government's consultation on the future of the BBC published in July 2015, which are set out in Annex 7 of its White Paper, A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction, published in May 2016, in formulating its policy on paying for access to BBC iPlayer services.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Responses to all questions in the BBC Charter Review public consultation were analysed and the results published in a Summary of Responses document in April. This document set out the strong support for the continued provision of the licence fee from consultation respondents, as well as significant support for reform or modernisation. On the basis of this, and wider consultation with stakeholders, the government has committed to modernise the licence fee to include BBC on-demand programmes.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33135, on employment and support allowance: inflammatory bowel disease, how many new claimants there have been in this Parliament.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36333, on employment schemes, how much was spent on each of the programmes referred to in that Answer in the most recent financial year for which data is available.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to reply to the letter of 15 March 2016 on wage insurance from the hon. Member for Birkenhead.

Justin Tomlinson: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Stephen Crabb) has replied to the Rt. Hon. Member today.

Motability: Parkinson's Disease

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson's disease who leased a Motability vehicle under disability living allowance were assessed as being ineligible for that vehicle under personal independence payment prior to any subsequent appeal.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not hold this information. Motability is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme, including collating its own management information and client statistics. Whilst the Department meets regularly with Motability to discuss scheme performance, questions relating to the details of the scheme’s operation should be directed to Motability itself. We recognise that the transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be challenging for some individuals, which is why the Department worked closely with Motability as we developed our plans for the introduction of PIP. The Motability charity provides a one-off package of transitional support and advice to support customers who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Motability Scheme. For most of these customers who entered into their first lease agreement with Motability before January 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This will enable many former Scheme customers to continue to meet their mobility needs by purchasing a used car. For customers who entered into their first lease agreement with the scheme during 2013, Motability will supply transitional support of £1,000 to assist with mobility costs. Motability is also providing help with the cost of adaptations made to non-scheme vehicles and information on non-scheme motoring and insurance. The Scheme also offers customers an opportunity to purchase their vehicle after the end of the lease.

Social Security Benefits: Parkinson's Disease

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson's disease have been transferred from long-term disability living allowance to personal independence payment.

Justin Tomlinson: The available information is in the table below and shows the number of people with Parkinson’s disease who were in receipt of disability living allowance and have successfully claimed personal independence payment (PIP). Full PIP roll out began from July 2015 and is due to take several years to complete. This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.  Claims in paymentParkinson's disease550Parkinson's syndrome / Parkinsonism50 Notes:The source of the data is the PIP computer system.Figures are correct as at 31st January 2016 and have been rounded to the nearest 10.Figures are for DLA reassessment claims only and include normal rules claims and claims under the special rules for terminally ill people.Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.Figures are for Great Britain.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons 60 per cent of appeals made in personal independence payment cases have resulted in the initial decision being overturned.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department gathers information on the reasons why PIP decisions have been overturned from its Presenting Officers and the summary reasons it gets back from the Tribunal hearing. Internal Management Information for 2015/16 indicates that either new oral or documentary evidence supplied at the hearing are the leading reasons for PIP decisions being overturned in 75% of overturns recorded. These figures are from internal DWP systems, where only one of possible multiple reasons can be recorded, and are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard.

Carer's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the rate of take-up of carer's allowance; and what steps he is taking to improve that rate.

Justin Tomlinson: There are a number of qualifying conditions that have to be met in order for a claimant to receive Carer’s Allowance. These include providing care for 35 hours a week to a disabled person in receipt of a qualifying disability benefit; earning less than £110 net a week; and not being in full time education. There is no basis on which we could accurately make such an assessment on take-up rates given that these and other conditions have to be satisfied to receive Carer’s Allowance, and they can only be tested when an actual claim is made. Information on Carer’s Allowance is widely available, including on Gov.UK. We have also introduced a new online claiming service for Carer’s Allowance, which was designed using customer insight. This has proved extremely popular with claimants, with around seven out of ten claims now being made that way and customer satisfaction rates of 90 per cent. Performance data is available on Gov.UK at https://www.gov.uk/performance/carers-allowance DWP also works closely with stakeholders to promote Carer’s Allowance, this includes regular engagement with Carers UK; a Carer’s Allowance Unit Outreach Manager who regularly attends events throughout England, Scotland and Wales promoting Carer’s Allowance; and engagement with Carers groups through the DWP National Partnership Team. Further information on Carer’s Allowance is available on Gov.UK at https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance

Work Capability Assessment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36280, how many people are waiting for a rearranged work capability assessment having had their initial appointment cancelled.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Work Capability Assessment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36280, for what reasons work capability assessments have been cancelled.

Priti Patel: Work Capability Assessments can be cancelled for a wide variety of reasons linked to the need for matching the customer’s own requirements with the availability of all those parts necessary for an assessment to take place. Over half of all cancellations are customer instigated cancellations. Where the cancellations are instigated by DWP we will rearrange the appointment at a convenient time for the customer.

Members: Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to reply to the letter of 1 March 2016 from the Rt hon. Member for Birkenhead on the recommendations made by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger.

Justin Tomlinson: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Stephen Crabb) has replied to the Rt. Hon. Member today.

Work Capability Assessment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pieces of recording equipment are available in each region of the UK for the purposes of recording work capability assessments.

Priti Patel: Centre for Health and Disability Assessments offer audio recordings to customers who request them in advance, or on the day, and recording machines are now available at every assessment centre. For every 10,000 Work Capability Assessments completed the Department receives an average of 66 requests for an audio recorded assessment. There are currently 24 audio-recording machines in Scotland and the North East; 43 in North and Central England; 39 in Wales and the West, and; 22 in London and South England, totalling 128 for Great Britain. (Source: Centre for Health Disability Assessments)

Jobcentres: National Insurance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of people having to travel more than one hour to attend a jobcentre plus office in order to obtain a National Insurance number in the last 12 months.

Mr Shailesh Vara: No estimate has been made of the number of people having to travel more than one hour to attend a Jobcentre Plus office in order to obtain a National Insurance number in the last 12 months.

Jobcentres: National Insurance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobcentre plus offices have been able to issue National Insurance numbers to new arrivals into the UK in each of the last six years.

Priti Patel: From 2010 to 2013 DWP had 2 specialist National Insurance number (NINo) Centres (Glasgow and Isle of Wight) able to issue NINos . In 2014, DWP issued NINos from 3 sites (Glasgow, Isle of Wight and Tooting). In 2015, DWP issued NINos from 5 sites (Glasgow, Isle of Wight, Tooting, Slough and Cambridge) In 2016, to date, DWP is issuing NINos from 4 sites (Glasgow, Isle of Wight, Tooting and Slough)

Motability: Parkinson's Disease

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson's disease who were assessed as being ineligible under personal independence payment for a Motability vehicle to which they were entitled under disability living allowance have had that decision overturned at (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) appeal.

Justin Tomlinson: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service regularly publish statistics on Personal Independence Payment appeals, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics#social-security-and-child-support-statistics. However, these are not broken down by appellants’ main disabling condition and this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. We recognise that the transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be challenging for some individuals, which is why the Department worked closely with Motability as we developed our plans for the introduction of PIP. The Motability charity provides a one-off package of transitional support and advice to support customers who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Motability Scheme. For most of these customers who entered into their first lease agreement with Motability before January 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This will enable many former Scheme customers to continue to meet their mobility needs by purchasing a used car. For customers who entered into their first lease agreement with the scheme during 2013, Motability will supply transitional support of £1,000 to assist with mobility costs. Motability is also providing help with the cost of adaptations made to non-scheme vehicles and information on non-scheme motoring and insurance. The Scheme also offers customers an opportunity to purchase their vehicle after the end of the lease.

Universal Credit: Blackpool South

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants there were in Blackpool South constituency in (a) June 2015, (b) December 2015 and (c) the latest month for which figures are available.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Mr Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of (a) disability living allowance and (b) personal independence payments have (i) lost or (ii) gained the higher rate mobility allowance since 2014.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Industrial Health and Safety

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many safety inspections the Health and Safety Executive carried out in the last year for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the number of such inspections the Executive will be able to make with the planned budget for 2019-20.

Justin Tomlinson: The Health and Safety Executive undertook approximately 18,000 targeted inspections in 2015/16, and will seek to maintain current levels of its core regulatory activities, including inspection, each year.

Industrial Health and Safety

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the effect of an ageing workforce on safety at work in the UK.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) commissioned a report into age and employment in 2011 http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr832.pdf. The report found little conclusive evidence that older workers have an increased risk of work related accidents than younger workers. However, if an older worker is involved in a work related accident, the individual is likely to suffer more serious injuries, permanent disabilities or death, than for a younger worker. This is supported by statistics published by HSE.The report also found there is little evidence that chronological age is a strong determinant of health, cognitive or physical abilities, sickness absence or productivity.HSE’s website includes specific guidance on how to tackle and address health and safety issues in relation to older workers http://www.hse.gov.uk/vulnerable-workers/older-workers.htm. Additionally, as part of the European Occupational Safety and Health Agency campaign – Healthy workplaces for all ages, HSE is currently working with external stakeholders to specifically target high risk industries with high ratios of older workers, such as agriculture.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he intends to answer the letter to him dated 13 April 2016 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms L Taylor.

Justin Tomlinson: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member of Preseli Pembrokeshire (Stephen Crabb), replied on 15 April 2016.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Training

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total size was of the core defence capability training budget in each of the last six years.

Penny Mordaunt: The Ministry of Defence undertakes a wide range of training activity, from phase 1 and phase 2 training for new recruits to complex joint exercises with other nations and specialist training for specific trades and skills, such as nuclear engineering. The costs for these activities encompass nearly all of the Defence Lines of Development and cannot be broken out without incurring disproportionate cost.

NATO: Military Exercises

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK military personnel were deployed on NATO training exercises in each of the last six years.

Mr Julian Brazier: The United Kingdom makes significant contributions to NATO training exercises through the provision of individual staff officers and formed units from all three Services. The information requested will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Military Police

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Order of Battle is of the Royal Military Police.

Mark Lancaster: The Order of Battle for the Royal Military Police at unit and specialist unit levels is as follows:1st Regiment Royal Military Police3rd Regiment Royal Military Police4th Regiment Royal Military PoliceSpecial Investigation Branch RegimentMilitary Provost ServiceSpecial Operations Regiment (made up of the Close Protection Unit and Service Police Crime Bureau)

Armed Forces: Apprentices

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many apprentices there are (a) at each level and (b) by age of apprentice in each of the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is able to provide the following information on completion rates for Level 2 and Level 3 Apprenticeships in the Army as at 1 May 2016. For information on completion rates for apprenticeships in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, I will write to the hon. Member shortly. Table 1: Number of current apprenticeships in the Army by level and age group. The total current occupancy was 15,017 soldiers on apprenticeships as at 1 May 2016. The break down by level of apprenticeship and age group is as follows -  Apprenticeship LevelAge GroupsTotals by Apprenticeship level16-1819-2324+Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship1,9864,4312,3808,797Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship9562,4621,9345,352No NVQ6998683868Totals3,6416,9794,397  1) A number of soldiers are enrolled onto an apprenticeship but have not yet been assigned a main specialism (shown in the No NVQ row):2)All Junior Soldiers at Army Foundation College (AFC) Harrogate are enrolled onto an apprenticeship without a main specialism. This enables them to undertake Functional Skills as part of their apprenticeship and, when they leave AFC Harrogate and enter their specific trade training, they will be enrolled onto the specific trade-related apprenticeship.3)Some soldiers in the 19-23 and 24+ also show as having No NVQ. These soldiers come from Corps that commence their apprenticeships at the start of Phase 2 training but undertake some generic training but are not streamed into a specific trade area until later in training. These soldiers are also enrolled without a main aim until their specialisation is confirmed.

Armed Forces Day: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what Armed Forces Day events in Northern Ireland during June 2016 his Department plans to support.

Mark Lancaster: Armed Forces Day events provide opportunities for the nation to show their support of the Armed Forces. These events are community-led and can come in many different forms, from the national event through to local events organised by councils, ex-service organisations, community groups and schools. These events can be followed on Twitter using #SaluteOurForces.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not directly support specific Armed Forces events; other than the national event which will be held this year in Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, on Saturday 25 June. We do invite local authorities and community organisations to consider hosting an event and to apply for funding from the Ministry of Defence.Part-funding applications have been received for the Northern Ireland Regional Armed Forces Day event, which is scheduled to take place in Antrim on 18 June. Events will also be hosted in Articlave, Portglenone and Belfast on 25 June.As events are registered by their organisers, they will be published on the Armed Forces Day website: www.armedforcesday.org.uk

Armed Forces: GCSE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34910, what qualifications are required by his Department for English and mathematics tutors who teach functional skills in numeracy and literacy.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence general policy on the provision of Functional Skills (FS) training is that tutors employed to teach English and mathematics to Service Personnel are required to have a minimum Level 4 teaching qualification prior to employment. Once employed, all tutors must then successfully complete the 'Defence Train the Trainer Course'.Armed Forces training establishments follow more detailed criteria on the standard of qualification for tutors employed to deliver FS training. Two principal groups provide Functional Skills education within the Army. Basic Skills Development Managers (BSDMs) are employed across the Army Educational Services and are required to hold a nationally-recognised teaching qualification and a Adult Basic Skills Subject Specialisation Award (ABSSA) at a minimum of Level 4 in literacy or numeracy. The Army also contracts out FS delivery completed on the Army Apprenticeship Programme. Tutors on the various apprenticeships are required to hold an overall Level 5 teaching qualification and have appropriate subject matter expertise.All Royal Air Force (RAF) English and Mathematics FS tutors are required to have a minimum Level 4 ABSSA teaching qualification in their respective subject prior to employment. The Royal Navy also have minimum entry Level 4 FS qualifications requirement for all its tutors. The RAF and Royal Navy also expect an ABSSA teaching qualification in English and maths for tutors on the various apprenticeships as well as appropriate subject matter expertise.

Armed Forces: GCSE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what opportunities his Department offers to trainee soldiers aged under 18 to resit GCSEs as part of their elective personal development.

Mark Lancaster: Army junior entry training provides for educational opportunities up to the equivalent of AS level. The Army is ensuring that it remains aligned with ongoing changes in the state education sector and balancing these with the career development needs of its people and capability development requirements. All junior soldiers undertake a substantial education programme irrespective of their previous attainment and will progress in their functional skills, to be prepared better for employment whilst in service and beyond. In addition to its comprehensive provision of functional skills education, the Army is looking at the future provision of GCSE mathematics and English re-takes for those junior soldiers who narrowly miss the new Level 4 standard (currently A-C on the existing qualifications and credits framework), as well as other options to fulfil the academic potential of those already at the national GCSE standard.Opportunities to resit full GCSE qualifications while in standard entry initial training for under 18s are limited as the programme is intensive. However, within their training programme individuals do undertake functional skills, a programme of learning in English, mathematics and information and communication technology at either Levels 1 or 2 as appropriate.Following training, elective personal development opportunities are actively encouraged by the Army, including academic qualifications such as GCSEs, for which employer funding is available through the standard and enhanced learning credits schemes.

Electronic Warfare

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's definition is of a cyber act of war.

Penny Mordaunt: There is no set definition for an act of war, cyber or otherwise.An "act of war" and "armed conflict" are not defined within the Geneva Conventions. It is a matter of interpretation as to whether the threshold (within the context of surrounding circumstances) between a skirmish and a state of armed conflict has been crossed. Most cyber activity is criminal in nature. A key requirement to determining if there is an armed conflict taking place would be the deliberate intervention of members of a state's armed forces.In determining if 'cyber' activity constitutes an armed attack, the UK view is that cyber-attacks can be considered as armed attacks if their consequences are essentially the same as those of a conventional kinetic attack. For example, theft of intellectual property would generally be considered to be a criminal act. However, if cyber-activity was performed on a scale which had sufficiently serious consequences for a developed economy, many States - including the UK - would likely regard this as an "armed attack".

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel are not registered to vote in the EU referendum; and what steps his Department is taking to improve accessibility to register for that vote for armed forces personnel.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Service personnel who are registered to vote was published in the 2016 Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS), Table B22.1-3:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/armed-forces-continuous-attitude-survey-2016The Department takes a number of steps each year, with assistance from the Electoral Commission, to inform Service personnel of the arrangements for electoral registration. The annual information campaign encouraging Service personnel and their families to register to vote was launched on 1 February 2016, in conjunction with the National Voter Registration Drive. We have issued an updated, separate instruction for the EU Referendum and are conducting further internal communications to once again encourage Service personnel to register to vote.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Enterprise Zones: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local enterprise partnerships in Yorkshire about the creation of new enterprise zones.

James Wharton: In 2015 we ran a competitive bidding round that provided an opportunity for Local Enterprise Partnerships to submit bids for a new round of Enterprise Zones.All Local Enterprise Partnerships within Yorkshire successfully submitted bids for new Zones or extensions to existing ones. We announced two new Enterprise Zones in November, in Leeds and York, and at Budget we announced an extension to the existing Sheffield Enterprise Zone that is subject to local approval.

HM Treasury

Public Sector: Redundancy Pay

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his most recent estimate is of when the public sector exit payments cap will be introduced in (a) England and (b) Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to inform public sector workers of the implications of the public sector exit payment cap.

Greg Hands: The Government announced on 31st July 2015 that it intended to end six-figure exit payments for public sector workers, acting on its manifesto commitment. A public consultation over the summer of 2015 asked for views on the details of the policy, which received over 4,000 replies.The public sector exit payment cap has now been legislated for in the Enterprise Act. The Government intends to publish draft regulations over the summer setting out the detail of how the policy will be introduced, alongside accompanying guidance. All affected parties, including public sector workers, will have a further opportunity to comment on the regulations and supporting guidance during that time.The regulations implementing the public sector exit cap will not come into force before 1 October 2016 at the earliest. They will apply to bodies in England and those in Wales where the workforce is not devolved in this context. It will be for Welsh Ministers to determine when they bring into force the regulations in the Enterprise Act for bodies devolved to Wales.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to ensure that importers of soft drinks from outside the UK are subject to the soft drinks industry levy.

Damian Hinds: The levy will apply to importers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and we will consult on the appropriate compliance arrangements.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the effect of the introduction of the new soft drinks industry levy on the level of the consumer prices index.

Damian Hinds: The information on the effect of the introduction of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy on the CPI are available at page 51 of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook published by the OBR, available at: http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/March2016EFO.pdf

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the cost of (a) collecting and (b) enforcing the soft drinks industry levy in each of the next five years; and from which of his Department's budgets those costs will be met.

Damian Hinds: We will consult on the appropriate compliance arrangements for the levy and will plan resource allocation in due course.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding he plans to allocate to (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) relevant regulatory bodies to ensure importers of soft drinks from outside the UK pay the soft drinks industry levy.

Damian Hinds: We will consult on the appropriate compliance arrangements for the levy and will plan resource allocation in due course.

Revenue and Customs

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with officials of his Department in which withdrawal of the valuation check service by HM Revenue and Customs was discussed since May 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will conduct a consultation with small and medium-sized enterprises on potential steps to support and encourage the take up of employee share ownership schemes after the withdrawal of the valuation check service by HM Revenue and Customs on 31 March 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of employee share ownership schemes on (a) productivity levels and (b) the public purse in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) meetings he has had with external organisations and (b) steps he has taken to encourage the take up of employee share ownership schemes in small and medium-sized businesses in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: Tax-advantaged employee share schemes are greatly valued by both companies and employers, and the government wants to make sure that the rules surrounding these schemes are as simple and clear as possible. Budget 2016 made a number of changes to the rules for employment-related securities and options which will make these schemes fairer and easier for taxpayers to understand, and therefore encourage businesses to use them. An HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) commissioned report conducted by Oxera considered the effect of the tax-advantaged employee share schemes on productivity. The report is available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110203095056/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/tax-advantaged-report2.pdf. The government’s most recent assessment of the cost of the tax-advantaged employee share schemes to the Exchequer is provided in the table below.  Forecast cost of Income Tax relief (2015-16)Forecast cost of National Insurance relief (2015-16)Share Incentive Plan£220 million£165 millionSave As You Earn£180 million£140 millionEnterprise Management Incentives£70 million£40 millionCompany Share Option Plan£70 million£40 million HMRC has not withdrawn the valuation checking service for the tax-advantaged employee share schemes. However, HMRC has withdrawn other checks for non-tax advantaged schemes as, in the majority of cases, acceptable valuations were submitted. Therefore, the valuation service added no value and is seen as unnecessary. The government keeps all areas of the tax system under review and as part of that in always interested in understanding the views of all interested parties. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Corporation Tax: Taxis

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2016 to Question 35452, on corporation tax: taxis, in which table of the document referred to in that Answer information on corporation tax paid by minicab businesses is provided.

Mr David Gauke: Corporation tax liabilities for Taxi Operations for 2013-14 have been extracted from the data used for HM Revenue and Customs National Statistics, published in August 2015. Table 11.4 of this publication shows industry breakdowns at an aggregated level:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/456459/Corporation_Tax_Statistics_August_2015.pdf The breakdown of corporation tax liabilities for the relevant detailed Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 sector classifications is provided in the table below.  SIC 2007 sector categoryCT Liabilities (£m)Sector Description4931936.1Other urban, suburban or metropolitan passenger land transport (not underground, metro or similar)4932027.1Taxi operation4939022.3Other passenger land transport532018.1Licensed carriers

Companies: Registration

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 33646, what conditions of access have been placed by (a) Jersey and (b) the Cayman Islands on their registers of beneficial ownership.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the text of the arrangements concluded between the UK and the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and to the Oral Statement given by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) on 11 April 2016, Official Report, column 23. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beneficial-ownership-uk-overseas-territories-and-crown-dependencies https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-04-11/debates/1604111000001/PanamaPapers#contribution-1604116000104

General Anti-abuse Rule Advisory Panel

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax avoidance cases the General Anti-Abuse Rule Advisory Panel made decisions on in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016 to date.

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times the General Anti-Abuse Rule Advisory Panel met in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016 to date.

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax avoidance cases the General Anti-Abuse Rule Advisory Panel considered in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016 to date.

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax avoidance cases have been submitted by HM Revenue and Customs to the General Anti-Abuse Rule Advisory Panel in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016 to date.

Mr David Gauke: The General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR) was introduced in July 2013, and only applies to abusive tax arrangements entered into from this date. This means that it will first apply to income tax returns for the tax year ending 5 April 2014, which must have been filed with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by 31 January 2015. For cases to be tackled by the GAAR, HMRC must first enquire into tax returns once they are received, and gather all relevant facts. It is therefore still early in the process of litigation action for cases to be tackled by the GAAR. The GAAR Advisory Panel is an external body separate to HMRC. Their independent role means that they do not report the number of meetings held to HMRC.

Tax Avoidance

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information HM Revenue and Customs holds on the number of people engaged in employment through an umbrella company in each year since 2008.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not routinely record the information requested, but has published estimates on an ad hoc basis since 2008. In 2008 HMRC published figures for the number of umbrella workers in a consultation document “Tax Relief for travel expenses: temporary workers and overarching employment contracts.” HMRC estimated that around 120 umbrella companies operating in the UK were using overarching contracts and employed around 100,000 temporary workers at any one time. Evidence suggests that for 2013-14 the 50 largest umbrella companies alone employed 150,000 individuals over the course of a year. In 2015 an estimated 430,000 individuals were employed by umbrella companies and employment agencies on overarching contracts over the course of a year. The number at any one time will be less than this.

Financial Institutions: Conduct

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 30254, what penalty and enforcement options are currently available to the Financial Conduct Authority if financial institutions fail to meet their obligations in relation to Politically Exposed Persons.

Harriett Baldwin: This is an operational matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Financial Services: Fraud

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions the Financial Conduct Authority has reported fraudulent activity in the financial services sector to the police or prosecuting authorities in the last five years.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many referrals the Financial Conduct Authority has made to (a) the Insolvency Service and (b) Companies House recommending that a person be disqualified from acting as a company director or investigated further with a view to such action being taken in the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: The issues raised are a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) who are operationally independent from Government. These questions have been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government's policy on the soft drinks levy will lead to a higher rate of tax per volume of product levied on some soft drinks than on some non-spirit alcoholic beverages.

Damian Hinds: The tax rates for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy have not yet been set. The levy will not capture drinks with an alcoholic content above 0.5% ABV, which cannot be purchased by children.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the aim of the Government's policy on the new soft drinks levy is to persuade manufacturers to stop selling the regular full sugar versions of their drinks products.

Damian Hinds: The aim of the soft drinks industry levy is to help tackle obesity by encouraging producers to reformulate their overall product mixes by reducing added sugar content, helping their customers to choose low-sugar and sugar-free brands, and by reducing the portion sizes for high sugar drinks.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the potential effect of the introduction of the soft drinks industry levy on the cost of the average weekly shop in real terms in each year to 2018-19.

Damian Hinds: The tax rates for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy have not yet been set. The levy has been designed to encourage producers to reformulate their overall product mixes, and it is up to the industry how they respond to it. For example, if producers reformulate, they will pay less.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, at what threshold importers of soft drinks from outside the UK would be liable for the soft drinks industry levy.

Damian Hinds: As the Chancellor announced at Budget, the levy will not be charged to the smallest operators. We will consult on the most appropriate mechanism for achieving this.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Caroline Ansell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who he plans to consult about the soft drinks industry levy; and when that consultation will be launched.

Damian Hinds: We will launch a formal consultation covering various aspects of the proposed levy this summer and we are developing the consultation questions now. The consultation will be open to anyone to respond.

Economic Growth: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made in increasing the long-term growth rate of Yorkshire to at least the long-term growth rate of the whole of the UK in accordance with the Long-Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.

Greg Hands: The Office for National Statistics have not yet published an estimate of how the Yorkshire economy has grown following the announcement of the Long Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire in February 2015.

Credit: Interest Rates

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent payday loan companies from advertising financial services from third party companies to customers during the loan application process.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, transferring regulatory responsibility from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014. This more robust regulatory system is helping to deliver the Government’s vision for a well-functioning and sustainable consumer credit market which is able to meet consumers’ needs. The FCA has introduced detailed rules regarding firms’ promotions and advertisements. It has consulted on possible new rules, including forbidding financial promotions appearing in or among the rankings of price comparison websites comparing high-cost short-term credit.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Environment Protection: Taxation

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make it her policy to support French proposals for an EU-wide carbon floor price.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Environment Protection: Taxation

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will join the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Oil: Exploration

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, for what reasons it has not been practicable for her Department to lay the Committee on Climate Change report on Compatibility of Onshore Petroleum with meeting UK carbon budgets before Parliament.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Water Power

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if her Department will maintain the 2014 commitment to ring-fence spending through the Contracts for Difference (CfD) for 100MW of marine energy in the UK and make the full 100MW available to developers during the 2016 CfD auction process.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Reactors: Somerset

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions her Department has had with other government departments on the potential for the construction of new nuclear reactors in Somerset independent of the proposals by EDF at Hinkley Point C.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC has had no discussions with other government departments on the potential for the construction of new nuclear reactors in Somerset independent of the proposals by EDF at Hinkley Point C.

Offshore Industry

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that (a) there is a strategy for decommissioning offshore oil and gas rigs around the UK and (b) that decommissioning work is carried out in UK yards.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Power Stations: China

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what representations the Government has received from (a) the Chinese government and (b) Chinese energy companies on the use of alternative nuclear technology to that proposed by EDF at Hinkley Point.

Andrea Leadsom: No representations have been received from (a) the Chinese Government, or (b) Chinese energy companies on the use of alternative nuclear technology to that proposed by EDF at Hinkley Point.

Cabinet Office

ATOS Healthcare

Craig Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made in its review of Atos contracts.

Craig Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department's review of Atos contracts will be completed by summer 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The Atos contracts with an annual spend over £10 million with central Government are currently being reviewed. Data collection was completed by the end of April. Interviews with departments and Atos are taking place. Interviews are expected to be completed by mid-June 2016.The Cabinet Office will write to the PAC summarising the findings of the review and it will be completed in summer 2016.

Public Sector: Staff

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there was in the proportion of the working age population employed by the public sector in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland between 2005 and 2015.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Excel Chart
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.79 KB)




Referral Letter
(PDF Document, 64.54 KB)

Apprentices: Technology

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to encourage apprenticeships in cyber studies.

Matthew Hancock: Government has supported a Cyber Higher Apprenticeship programme delivered by the Tech Partnership with Training Provider QA, creating more than 250 new roles across industry for school leavers. New Cyber Intrusion Analyst and Cyber Security Technologist Trailblazer Apprenticeships have been developed which are now available to Employers and Apprentices. We have also integrated a cyber stream into the Fast Track Civil Service Apprenticeship scheme, offering 50 new roles across government with another cohort joining this year. Additionally, GCHQ has its own apprenticeship scheme incorporating cyber security. Since 2012, over 170 new apprentices have either graduated or joined the tailored two year foundation degree course.As announced by the Chancellor in November 2015, we are working with Employers to develop a Cyber Security Higher Apprenticeship pilot scheme that will address cyber skills gaps in three critical sectors: Transport, Finance and Energy. These apprenticeships will combine relevant cyber content, with sector-specific training. Industry in each sector will play a leading role in defining the additional course content. We will launch a targeted marketing campaign to encourage businesses and young people to consider a cyber apprenticeship with opportunities being advertised shortly.

Job Creation: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate how many jobs have been created in Yorkshire since May 2015.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Referral Letter
(PDF Document, 66.84 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rural Payments Agency: Performance Related Pay

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will direct the Rural Payments Agency not to make any bonus payments to its Chief Executive until payments to eligible farmers have been completed.

George Eustice: Senior Civil Servants (SCS) who are moderated as top performers at the end of the performance management year are eligible to receive a bonus payment. The performance management year for the SCS runs from 1 April to 31 March. Performance markings for 2015/16 will be determined by the end of May 2016. Only then will the eligibility of SCS for bonus payments be known.

Seas and Oceans: Plastics

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of microplastics entering the sea on protected species in UK waters.

George Eustice: Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The study did not specifically cover protected species. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is expected to be published shortly.

Floods: Insurance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which flood insurance providers have joined the Flood Re re-insurance scheme; and what proportion of the domestic flood insurance market is now able to access the Flood Re scheme.

Rory Stewart: Participating insurers represent around 80% of the domestic insurance market. Flood Re maintain a list of participating insurers which can be accessed via their website here at: http://www.floodre.co.uk/homeowner/find-an-insurer/.

Department of Health

School Meals

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which bodies are responsible for maintaining food hygiene standards in state funded primary and secondary schools; and what steps he is taking to support those schools which are found to be in need of improvement in that area.

Jane Ellison: Local authorities are responsible for food hygiene inspections of schools. Food hygiene legislation requires these premises to be registered as food businesses. The Food Standards Agency, which sets policy for and monitors enforcement of food safety legislation by local authorities, has advised that approximately 99% of educational establishments have satisfactory or better food hygiene standards.Local authorities work with food businesses to make improvements in any premises that fail to meet satisfactory standards during inspections and may take a range of enforcement actions as considered appropriate in the circumstances of each case. The hon. Member or members of his constituency may contact the relevant local authority or the Food Standards Agency for detailed information about specific premises that may be of concern to him.

Health Professions: Registration

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that non-medical scientists and technicians working in the health sector are registered with the Science Council or other relevant professional bodies.

Ben Gummer: Voluntary registration schemes, such as those overseen by the Science Council, provide an important mechanism for assuring the standards of professional staff. It is a matter for individual staff and their employing organisation as to how they make use of the assurance provided by voluntary registration schemes.

Nurses: Training

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many students studying (a) nursing and (b) psychiatric nursing at the University of Hull received NHS bursaries in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The total number of students studying nursing at the University of Hull who received an NHS Bursary in each of the last five academic years and the number of these students who were studying mental health nursing in each of the last three academic years is shown in the following table.  Academic Year (September – August) Number of student nurse bursary holders1 Number of student mental health nurse bursary holders1,22010/11893of which-2011/12848-2012/13861832013/14848972014/1582686Source data: NHS Business Services AuthorityNotes:1 Includes nil award holders (European Union fees only students and students whose living allowance element of the bursary has been reduced to nil after income assessment)2 Data prior to 2012/13 not available

Heart Diseases

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce geographic variation in access to surgical and transcatheter interventions for heart valve disease.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the number of people in the UK with undiagnosed heart valve disease; and if he will estimate the potential cost to the NHS of treating such people.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is working with professionals across the healthcare system to look at ways in which services and outcomes for patients with heart valve disease can be improved further, for example, by encouraging practitioners to follow clinical guidelines.Service specifications and policy for the surgical and interventional treatment of heart valve disease are published by NHS England’s Cardiothoracic Clinical Reference Group. These define what NHS England expects to be in place in order for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. NHS England is working on the next iteration of the specifications, which will include important standards relating to mitral valve surgery.In addition, NHS England is holding a clinical summit on 15 June 2016, which will bring together cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to examine the issues relating to heart valve disease, including variation. Outputs from discussions will be used to inform the future commissioning approach within specialised commissioning.Information on the number of people with an undiagnosed heart valve condition is not collected centrally. Patients with undiagnosed heart valve disease, once diagnosed, may require a range of treatments, including surgery. Therefore it is not possible to estimate what the aggregate costs might be.

Science

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on ensuring that all science-related government contracts and outsourced activities are awarded to organisations that demonstrate a commitment to high professional standards and invest in the professional development of their scientific workforce; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: All procurement processes must identify key objectives, performance indicators and critical success factors and ensure these are reflected in the tender documents against which organisations are invited to bid. Where appropriate, specific ongoing training and development needs can be included as specific terms in the final signed contract. The Department awards research contracts through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Contractual conditions require that the research is carried out by appropriately experienced, qualified and trained personnel with all due skill, care and diligence. The NIHR Faculty includes all of the people funded through NIHR contracts who work in the national health service, universities and registered charities in England. The NIHR Faculty offers career pathways in research and provides training and development opportunities.

Nurses: Training

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nursing students who enrolled on pre-registration nurse education courses in each region held a prior degree-level qualification in any subject in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The information about the proportion of student nurses that have already studied for a degree before entering training as a nurse is not collected by the Department.

Cancer

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's news story of 13 September 2015, From 2020 people with suspected cancer will be diagnosed faster, when his Department plans to make tailored recovery packages available for cancer patients, including those with rarer cancers.

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's news story of 13 September 2015, entitled From 2020, people with suspected cancer will be diagnosed faster, by what date he expects tailored recovery packages to be available for (a) all cancer patients and (b) patients with rarer cancers.

Jane Ellison: In its report Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020 (July 2015), the independent Cancer Taskforce called for an acceleration of the commissioning and provision of services to support people affected by cancer to live as healthy and as happy lives as possible. Over the last few years, NHS England has been working with Macmillan Cancer Support to roll out the Recovery Package, which describes a set of actions that ensure that the individual needs of all people going through cancer treatment and beyond, including rare cancers, are met by tailored support and services. By working through a Recovery Package, patients and clinicians assess patients’ holistic needs and plan appropriately for their care and support, they ensure that a treatment summary is sent between a patient’s hospital and their general practitioner (GP), that they are appropriately followed up by their GP, and can attend health and wellbeing events for patients and carers.In September 2015, the Department announced that by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. In April 2016, NHS England published guidance on the commissioning of these services to support people living with and beyond cancer, and will continue to support both Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints and clinical commissioning groups to put this guidance into action.

Drugs and Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department ensures that the delivery of drug and alcohol treatment by local authorities conforms to the NHS constitution.

Jane Ellison: Section 2 of the Health Act 2009 as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 requires local authorities to have regard to the National Health Service constitution in performing their health service functions which include the commissioning of services to treat dependence on drugs and alcohol.Public Health England supports local authorities in their public health functions by providing a range of supportive guidance and materials, as well as bespoke data, value for money tools, topical briefings, and advice on good practice.The Department distributes funding to local authorities through the Public Health Grant to carry out their public health functions. The grant conditions include a requirement for each local authority to have regard to the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, its drug and alcohol misuse treatment services. Local authorities are also required to report annual expenditure on drug and alcohol services.

Hospitals: Discharges

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to hospital trusts on the discharge of frail elderly patients.

Alistair Burt: In this Parliament, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a guideline on “Transition between inpatient hospital settings and community or care home settings for adults with social care needs” in December 2015. The guideline aims to improve people's experience of admission to, and discharge from, hospital by better coordination of health and social care services. NHS England’s “Quick Guide: Improving Hospital Discharge into the Care Sector” also provides practical advice for local health and care systems on how to improve hospital discharge for people with packages of care at home or with care home places.

Diabetes

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many adults on GP registers had been diagnosed with diabetes in (a) 2000 and (b) 2015.

Jane Ellison: The number of adults diagnosed with diabetes is taken from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), this represents all patients age 17 and older who have been diagnosed with diabetes and recorded on general practitioner (GP) registers.The latest data available are for 2014/15, when there were 2,913,538 adults included on GP registers. QOF goes back to 2004/05 and at that time there were 1,766,391 adults included on GP registers.

Patients: Safety

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many never events have been recorded in (a) Furness General Hospital and (b) Westmorland General Hospital in the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The information is not available in the format requested. In addition, data are not available at hospital level. The 2012-13 publication does not have trust level data. Published data on never events from 2012-13 to 2015-16 are available on the NHS England website at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/patientsafety/never-events/ne-data/ The following table shows the reported never events at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust for 2013-14 and 2015-16. No never events were reported at this Trust in 2014-15. Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which also provides services from the Furness General Hospital and the Westmorland General Hospital, has no reported never events in the published data.  University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust2015-16 (monthly provisional)MonthRetained foreign object post procedureWrong implant/ prosthesisWrong site surgeryOther NE (types 4-25)Sub-total Serious Incidents reported as Never Events that can be matched to Never Event list type 1-25July  1 1May  1 1  2013-14Annual 21 3 Source: NHS England https://www.england.nhs.uk/patientsafety/never-events/ne-data/ Notes:  From April 2014, NHS England published provisional never events data as monthly updates throughout each financial year. Each report updates the previous month’s data as information on never events is reported or amended.The provisional monthly never events data summaries for 2015/16 have been drawn from the STEIS system. Each report includes all Serious Incidents reported as occurring within the indicated timeframe, where they are designated by their reporters as never events at the date the data was extracted. Please note these reports are provisional data and subject to change.As of 1 April 2016, patient safety is now part of NHS Improvement. Never events data publications for 2016/17 financial year and onwards will be published by NHS Improvement.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to ask NHS England to publish the initial Sustainability and Transformation plans submitted on 15 April 2016 to permit scrutiny of those plans.

George Freeman: The arm’s length bodies that developed the NHS Five Year Forward View – NHS England, NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission, Public Health England, Health Education England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence – plan to publish Sustainability and Transformation Plans once they are final. They do not plan to publish the April submissions, on the basis that they are not formal plans but set out only an interim position.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to assess the extent to which Sustainability and Transformation plans address (a) mental health provision in a locality and (b) the case for the integration of mental and physical health.

George Freeman: Sustainability and Transformation Plans are multi-year, high-level and place-based plans. Local health and care systems have been asked to ensure that they have a shared understanding of where they are in relation to the three challenges set out in the Five Year Forward View (health and wellbeing, care and quality, finance and efficiency) and where they need to be by 2020/21. They are expected to build on this to present an overall strategy for their geographic footprint and identify the 3-5 key priorities required to realise their vision. These priorities will not be the same for each area. Those areas with more advanced plans will be expected, in addition, to set out how they will deliver a number of national priorities including improvements in mental health services. In addition, NHS England and other arm’s length bodies have established a programme to implement the national strategy for mental health developed by the Mental Health Taskforce. The strategy is designed to reduce variations in access to and quality of support for people with mental health conditions and to ensure that services meet people’s physical and mental health needs in an integrated way.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that engagement and consultation with key stakeholders, communities and local voluntary sector organisations is undertaken within each Sustainability and Transformation plan footprint prior to finalisation of those plans.

George Freeman: As set out in the NHS Shared Planning Guidance, published in December 2015, the success of Sustainability and Transformation Plans will depend on having an open, engaging, and iterative process that involves patients, carers, citizens, clinicians, local community partners including the independent and voluntary sectors, and local government through health and wellbeing boards. The arm’s length bodies responsible for the NHS Five Year Forward View – NHS England, NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission, Public Health England, Health Education England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence – have asked for local engagement plans as part of the Sustainability and Transformation Plan process, building where appropriate on existing engagement through health and wellbeing boards and other local arrangements. Where plans propose service changes, formal consultation will follow in due course in line with good practice and legislative requirements. The arm’s length bodies will be holding conversations with each area to assess their plans for local engagement.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure uniformity of data available from different mental health service providers.

Alistair Burt: For all data collected by the National Health Service there is a standards approval process. This is managed by the Standardisation Committee for Care Information (SCCI), a subgroup of the National Information Board. All mental health data standards are approved via this process and result in an Information Standards Notice being issued which mandates Electronic Patient Record System suppliers and providers of NHS funded services to collect and submit the data.The Mental Health Services Data Set reference is SCCI0011 (http://www.hscic.gov.uk/isce/publication/SCCI0011). It should be noted that this standard relates to the specification for data flowing from NHS-funded care providers to the Health and Social Care Information Centre for secondary use purposes. The standard has been designed so that it includes only data which can be derived from local clinical records and only data items which need to be directly collected. It also supports the principle that data is collected once and used many times.In relation to data quality, the Department and NHS England successfully worked with Improving Access to Psychological Therapies providers to ensure consistent data quality. We will take a similar approach as we continue developing the new mental health dataset and would expect the five-year data plan which will inform future data collections on mental health to consider data quality.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of clinical commissioning groups increased their spending on children and young people's mental health as a proportion of their overall budget in 2015-16; and how many are forecast to increase such spending in 2016-17.

Alistair Burt: For 2015-16 we do not hold details on the increase in spend by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on children and young people’s mental health. However a detailed and robust assurance process was set up and 123 Local Transformation Plans to improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing at local level were submitted to NHS England during 2015-16. This process covered every CCG in England. An assurance process was established with detailed financial tracking arrangements to ensure that the additional money was spent for the purposes intended and that locally determined key performance indicators are being met. No funding was allocated without full assurance in place.For 2016-17 we are currently collecting planned spend on mental health services as part of NHS England financial planning processes. Programme level spend, including children and young people’s mental health spend, will be monitored routinely throughout the year and any adverse variances from agreed plans will be escalated through the routine financial reporting.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether there is a team within his Department with specific responsibility for children and young people's mental health.

Alistair Burt: Yes, there is a team within the Department with specific responsibility for those areas of policy on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing for which the Secretary of State for Health is accountable.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24630, for what reasons the thematic review of how the mental health needs of children and young people in vulnerable groups have been addressed as part of the Local Transformation Plan analysis has not been published.

Alistair Burt: Over 1,300 documents have been considered as part of NHS England’s thematic review of the Local Transformation Plans to ensure they align with the Future in Mind principles to improve children and young people’s mental health. This has required time to ensure that all the thematic reviews, including the report on vulnerable groups, are in an accessible format.NHS England is preparing for publication and the thematic reviews will be available shortly.

Department of Health: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on staff away days in each of the last six years.

Jane Ellison: The Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are committed to developing their staff and equipping them with the skills and knowledge to carry out their work. Away-days, other similar team-based development activities and very occasional residential training all make a contribution to such development. This type of development activity is typically arranged by individual teams within the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. No central records of these events are held, and to collect this information would incur disproportionate costs.

North Middlesex Hospital

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the letter to him of 22 March 2016 from the hon. Member for Tottenham, whether he plans to meet with the hon. Member to discuss North Middlesex Hospital.

Ben Gummer: I apologise to the Rt. hon. Member as he has not received a reply to his letter of 22 March 2016 to the Secretary of State requesting a meeting to discuss his concerns about North Middlesex Hospital.Departmental officials will contact the Rt. hon. Member’s office as a matter of urgency with a view to arranging the meeting he requested.

North Middlesex Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provision of A&E services at North Middlesex Hospital.

Ben Gummer: We are advised that NHS Improvement (NHSI) is working with NHS England to bring together colleagues from across the local health and social care system to support North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (NMUH) to work to deliver improvements to patients. We are informed by NHSI that to address the poor performance in NMUH’s accident and emergency, it has devised a plan titled Safer, Faster, Better. This is a whole system programme with the primary objective of improving performance, patient experience and outcomes for patients. This will build on the recent Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust analysis of the trust’s emergency care pathway, and complement previous reviews identifying root causes of the problem.

NHS Improvement

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the criteria is for which hospitals are listed as being supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team.

Ben Gummer: In 2015/16, increased resources were provided to the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team (ECIST). This was to enable it to provide a programme of deeper support to 27 health communities in England selected on the basis of poor performance against the national 4-hour accident and emergency standard during 2014/15 and quarter one of 2015/16. ECIST is also resourced to provide expert input to the eight urgent and emergency care vanguards.Since April 2016, the team has offered limited improvement support to a small group of trusts at the request of NHS Improvement regional teams.

NHS Improvement

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals are listed as being supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team.

Ben Gummer: The Emergency Care Intensive Support Team (ECIST) is focused on helping 27 urgent and emergency care systems across England that are under the most pressure to deliver real improvements in quality, safety and patient flow. ECIST is also resourced to provide expert input to the eight urgent and emergency care vanguards.Since April 2016, the team has offered limited improvement support to a small group of trusts at the request of NHS Improvement regional teams.

Palliative Care

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes to junior doctors' contracts and NHS working patterns on hospices and other institutions providing end of life care.

Ben Gummer: Most junior doctors working in hospices do so as either a volunteer or as part of their training placement with a National Health Service trust or foundation trust, who under the new contract will appoint a guardian of safe working hours.It was also agreed in the May negotiations that non-hospital employers with fewer than 10 trainees (this could include palliative care) must contract the guardian of safe working hours at a neighbouring NHS trust to oversee the safe working of trainees.The trainees affected by these arrangements will be represented in the Junior Doctor Forum and the Guardian must either be familiar with the issues face by the trainees working in the relevant setting or have access to support and advice on such issues.Hospices will decide locally how to deploy trainee doctors and on-call arrangements.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides to clinical commissioning groups on the storage and disposal of embryonic waste following IVF treatment.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the United Kingdom national regulator for the provision of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Clinics cannot provide IVF or store gametes and embryos unless they have a licence to do so from the HFEA. The HFEA’s code of practice (a copy is attached) gives guidance to clinics on the sensitive handling of embryonic material following IVF. It advises that this should be done in a manner that takes account of the special status of the human embryo.



HFEA Code of Practice
(PDF Document, 215.82 KB)

Nurses: Temporary Employment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of agency costs as a proportion of the total nursing costs in each NHS (a) trust and (b) foundation trust in 2015-16.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not currently available centrally. It could only be obtained from NHS Improvement at a disproportionate cost.In November 2015, the Government introduced a series of tough financial controls to help the National Health Service tackle overspending on agency staff, including an hourly price cap.

NHS Trusts: Cleaning Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each NHS trust spent on cleaning services in the last year for which figures are available.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS hospital trusts in England spent on cleaning services in each financial year since 2009-10.

Alistair Burt: The total amount spent on cleaning services by National Health Service hospital trusts is as shown in Table 1, below: Table 1: Cleaning Services Costs by YearYearCleaning Services Costs (£ millions)2009/10897.22010/11938.62011/12936.52012/13933.92013/14904.12014/15929.2  Table 2 (attached separately) gives information on cleaning spend for each NHS hospital trust for 2014-15.



Table 2
(Excel SpreadSheet, 76.5 KB)

NHS: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each (a) NHS trust and (b) foundation trust has paid to his Department in repayment of public dividend capital of £25,000 or more provided by his Department in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: Repayments of public dividend capital (PDC), of £25,000 or more, made by National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts to the Department in each of the last three financial years are shown in the tables below. Table A – NHS Trust PDC repayments 2013/14 £0002014/15 £0002015/16 £000 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust33,70037,970 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust8,0004,000 Barts Health NHS Trust 60,00015,000Bedford Hospitals NHS Trust 14,200300Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust  850Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust10,00023,000 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust18,67721,336 Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust  785Ealing Hospital NHS Trust4,0005,000 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust5,1006,000 East Cheshire NHS Trust  200East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust  3,700East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust  1,500East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust29,00016,500 Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust6,000 2,600George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust2,50010,000 Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust  1,500Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 8,000 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust  1,000Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust  3,400Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 4,000750Isle of Wight NHS Trust  607Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust  2,825Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 29,8001,000Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust  50Lewisham and Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust10,50016,9426,696London Ambulance Service NHS Trust  4,500Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust16,000  Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust  300Mersey Care NHS Trust  6,000Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust6,00020,0003,809Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust24,00020,5005,000North Bristol NHS Trust 8,500 North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust31,70017,000 North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust  350North West London Hospitals NHS Trust20,85325,420 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 10,500 Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust  2,300Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust  2,000Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust  2,500Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust9,2003,3006,000Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust6,2006,5001,347Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust  1,500Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals University NHS Trust  25,000Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust  500Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust7,50016,6002,500South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust  3,800Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust  350St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust  100Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust5,5002,0003,000Sussex Community NHS Trust3,000 1,000The Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust  785The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust8,34118,8813,000The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 3,200 The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust  2,500The Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust  900The Solent NHS Trust 5,000 The Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust  400The Wirral Community NHS Trust  397University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust37746,000 University Hospitals of North Midlands11,700  United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust14,00014,000 Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust 2,5002,400West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 28,000 West London Mental Health NHS Trust  600West Middlesex University NHS Trust2,0004,950 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust8,5005,600 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 34,500 Wye Valley NHS Trust7,80012,700 Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust  3,653 310,148562,399129,254 Table B – NHS Foundation Trust PDC repayments 2013/14 £0002014/15 £0002015/16 £000 Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 16,880 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  2,800Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust  450Bolton NHS Foundation Trust  4,100Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 3,272 Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust  500Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust  500Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust30159 Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  2,400Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Foundation Trust  800Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust  100Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  200Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2,1003,700Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  600East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust  700Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust  3,000Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust  200Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation Trust  407Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust  8,944Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  2,000Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust  18,600Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 4,990 Humber NHS Foundation Trust  600James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  1,500Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 7,4006,800King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  9,400Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust26  Medway NHS Foundation Trust 25,250 Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust 21,545 Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 20,436 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  6,900Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust  295Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust  700Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1,8006,000Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 27,419800Royal National Hospital For Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust 1,000 Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust  1,000Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust  400Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 24,174 South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust  1,400South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust1,914  South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 14,400 St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  4,600Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 9,007 Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust  500The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn NHS Foundation Trust 11,8001,000The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust  3,400The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  2,300The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust  700Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust  2,500University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust  59University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust 18,000 Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  2,500 1,970209,632103,355.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on the level of compliance with NICE guidelines on fertility treatment by each clinical commissioning group in England in the last three years.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of high-risk pregnancies caused by patients going abroad for IVF treatment.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the extent of the practice among clinical commissioning groups in England of offering only one fresh cycle of IVF treatment.

Jane Ellison: The Government has not made an assessment of the annual cost to the National Health Service of high risk pregnancies caused by patients going abroad for in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Multiple births are the single biggest risk to the health and welfare of children born following fertility treatment and present significant health risks to mothers and babies. Over recent years, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has worked to drive down multiple birth rates whilst maintaining consistent treatment success rates. To minimise the risk of multiple pregnancies, there has been a growing trend for IVF providers to only transfer one embryo, even when more are available, in patients who have a good chance of successful treatment. Elective single embryo transfer is the most effective way of reducing multiple pregnancies. The HFEA has advised that most clinics have shown significant progress in reducing multiple births without compromising pregnancy rates. In 2008 nearly one in four IVF births resulted in a multiple birth but now, with a concerted multiple births reduction policy, this number is one in six. Although progress has been made, this number is still higher than the rate in conceptions that do not involve assisted reproduction treatment. The overall goal is to reduce multiple births to one in ten. The level of provision of infertility treatment, as for all health services they commission, is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCG’s decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local needs. Information about CCGs approach to commissioning or compliance with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidelines regarding IVF services is not collected centrally.

NHS: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each (a) NHS trust and (b) foundation trust has paid to his Department in repayment of loans of £25,000 or more issued by his Department in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: The Department has received loan repayments, of £25,000 or more, for the last three financial years from National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts as set out in the two tables below: NHS Trust Loan Repayments 2013/14 £2014/15 £2015/16 £Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust--£4,300,000Bedford Hospitals NHS Trust£5,448,000£5,248,000£95,148,000Bradford District Care NHS Trust£94,000£94,000£45,155,000Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust£1,978,000£1,722,000£9,423,000Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust£1,830,000£1,830,000£2,110,000Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust--£12,483,000Croydon Health Services NHS Trust£500,000-£12,000,000Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust--£12,801,000Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust£156,000£456,000£576,000Ealing Hospital NHS Trust£2,202,000£20,142,000£4,575,218East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust--£31,697,900East Cheshire NHS Trust--£17,396,000East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust£3,348,000-£17,324,000East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust£1,332,000£1,332,000£2,902,000East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust£460,000£460,000£36,599,151Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust--£21,300,000Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust£1,596,000£3,036,000£1,416,000Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust£700,000£700,000£23,400,000Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust£1,500,000£1,500,000£2,390,000Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust£116,000£116,000£15,116,000Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust--£225,481Isle of Wight NHS Trust£470,000£470,000£17,689,000Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust--£12,702,080Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust£300,000£150,000£3,000,000Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust£856,000£856,000£27,256,000Lewisham and Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust--£16,926,721London Ambulance Service NHS Trust£2,200,000£2,200,000£22,200,000London North West Helthcare NHS Trust£0£40,000£8,988,418Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust£600,000£600,000£16,300,000Mersey Care NHS Trust£3,356,000£3,356,000£30,961,583Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust£498,000£498,000£498,000Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust£1,244,000£4,343,000£0NHS Direct NHS Trust£649,000£432,000£0North Bristol NHS Trust£682,000£902,000£1,122,000North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust£0£14,298,000£0North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust£1,420,000£1,420,000£29,210,000Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust£600,000£500,000£400,000Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust£3,234,000£3,234,000£3,234,000Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust£1,260,000£1,260,000£15,260,000Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust--£31,403,000Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust--£32,863,800Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust£2,174,000£2,174,000£14,674,000Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust£4,172,000£4,172,000£27,472,000Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust£2,135,000£2,588,000£2,588,000Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals University NHS Trust£2,409,000£2,780,000£37,488,000Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust£1,752,000£1,752,000£1,752,000Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust£1,252,000£1,252,000£1,252,000South London Healthcare NHS Trust£334,000£334,000£578,420Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust£1,674,000£1,671,000£31,841,900St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust£1,000,000£1,000,000£30,825,000Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust£3,782,000£4,104,422£13,175,661Sussex Community NHS Trust£2,000,000£2,000,000£1,000,000The Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust£4,342,000£3,642,000£1,142,000The Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust£1,300,000£1,300,000£850,000The Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust--£14,311,000The Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust£1,600,000£1,600,000£2,400,000The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust£176,000£176,000£176,000Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust£1,226,000£1,226,000£1,226,000Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust£764,000£764,000£764,000Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust£522,000£522,000£4,538,000 £71,243,000£104,252,422£826,406,333  NHS Foundation Trust Loan Repayments 2013/14 £2014/15 £2015/16 £5 Borough Partnership NHS Foundation Trust--£573,800Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£1,811,200£1,811,200£2,117,200Airedale NHS Foundation Trust£504,960£504,960£504,960Alder Hey Childrens NHS Foundation Trust--£2,081,004Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust--£4,152,220Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£1,095,040£1,095,040£12,435,920Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust£2,182,560£2,182,560£2,182,560Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£2,828,200£3,171,400£4,432,554Bolton NHS Foundation Trust£1,367,889£1,367,889£3,117,889Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£1,000,000£1,000,000£1,000,000Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust--£14,845,000Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust£5,631,600--Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£3,548,420£3,548,420£7,398,420Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£8,112,000£8,112,000£5,112,000Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£3,625,000£6,125,000£44,440,400Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£1,000,776£1,000,776£1,000,776City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust£1,617,200£1,617,200£3,072,900Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust£250,000£250,000£250,000Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust£0£594,000£15,118,000Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£1,693,150£3,436,300£4,282,200Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£1,590,000£1,590,000£19,994,000Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£426,440£1,068,160£2,434,880Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£700,000--Dorset Health Care University NHS Foundation Trust£180,573£1,443,276-Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust£0£1,177,300£1,355,800Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£2,634,533£2,634,533£2,634,533Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust--£2,055,000Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust£625,000£2,952,500£6,519,000Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£1,300,000£1,931,200£1,281,200Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust£0£544,880£544,880Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£1,444,000£11,484,000-Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust-£232,383£529,866Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£188,996£188,996£234,187Humber NHS Foundation Trust£254,500£254,500£254,500Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£1,480,000£1,480,000£18,251,000King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£1,011,600£1,011,600£87,022,600Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust£176,000£352,000£2,571,460Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£856,440£2,657,440£20,697,440Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust£667,200£667,200£667,200Liverpool Womens Hospital NHS Foundation Trust--£305,800Medway NHS Foundation Trust£228,480£1,127,623£22,490,863Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust--£275,778Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£444,800£444,800£15,436,800Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£4,729,920£830,000£1,823,200Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust£1,056,464£1,056,464£1,056,464North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust£2,214,596£2,214,596£2,614,196Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust--£1,684,077Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust£2,766,000£4,470,000£4,590,000Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust£2,120,000£2,624,000£2,624,000Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust£1,337,560£1,337,560£1,337,560Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£1,404,000£1,404,000£1,404,000Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust£1,250,000£1,250,000£1,250,000Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust--£17,500,000Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust--£439,240Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£388,850£777,700£777,700Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£50,000--Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust£3,508,800£363,217£363,217Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust£3,668,800£3,668,800£3,668,800Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust£1,270,400£1,270,400£1,270,400Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust--£1,578,000Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust-£441,000£882,000Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Foundation Trust£990,000£990,000£990,000Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust£0£512,000£512,000Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust£1,250,000£625,000-Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust£118,493£236,986£1,301,986Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£1,445,180£1,445,180£1,445,180Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust--£38,183,000Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust£444,400£544,400£422,400South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust£987,000£488,000£1,738,000South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust£1,243,250£3,318,635£4,415,510South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust£666,000£1,332,000£1,332,000South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£1,988,640£3,016,680£13,996,200South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust£872,000£428,000£428,000St George's Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust--£37,691,065Stockport NHS Foundation Trust£1,071,400£1,071,400£1,071,400Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust--£10,971,000Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust£648,000£648,000£648,000Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust--£3,000,000The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£911,400£911,400£911,400The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£390,000£390,000£1,390,000The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£3,500,000£3,500,000£3,500,000The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Foundation Trust£1,156,800£1,156,800£19,052,400The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust£2,625,000£2,625,000£2,625,000The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust--£550,800The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust--£2,414,500The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust£236,640£683,840£1,131,040University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£2,801,285£2,801,285£28,101,285University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust£1,564,800£1,564,800£1,564,800University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust£4,425,500£4,925,000£4,925,000University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust£260,370£926,370£5,834,370University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust--£23,400,000Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£450,000--West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust£500,000-£65,100Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£3,820,000£4,571,611£2,157,611Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£265,200£640,200£1,015,200York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust£493,827£1,081,856£1,247,326 £111,367,131£131,201,315£596,569,016